PANAJI: The Congress on Thursday stepped up its attack on the BJP-led government, accusing the ruling party of having a nexus with drug networks, alleging that the repeated recovery of narcotics, including from jails, reflected a complete collapse of Goa's law and order machinery.
GPCC president Girish Chodankar alleged that cannabis was no longer confined to postal packages but had reached “every school, college and village”. “The fact that the government cannot keep even a jail secure is a symbol of the complete collapse of the law and order machinery in the State,” Chodankar said, referring to repeated drug recoveries from jails.
He alleged that Goa Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell had failed to detect several major drug networks, claiming that agencies from Telangana, Delhi and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had instead made significant seizures in Goa. “Goa Police machinery never finds drugs in Goa. This reveals a clear nexus between the people in power and the drug rackets,” he alleged.
Chodankar also referred to the recovery of drugs worth crores from an industrial estate warehouse allegedly linked to a BJP office bearer. He said Congress had filed a complaint in the matter but questioned what action had followed. He further alleged that the drug trade had become a “business run by the BJP family under the blessings of their senior leaders”, claiming that such networks could not operate without political protection.
Chodankar also accused the BJP-led government of running on a “30% commission system” and alleged that evidence in the cash-for-jobs controversy was being suppressed.
The Congress also targeted the government over casinos, with Chodankar calling them the BJP's “ATM” and demanding that the party disclose any casino-linked donations received for its new headquarters. “The BJP should disclose how many donations they have received from casinos for the new BJP Bhavan,” he said.
He said Congress would consider a policy to shift casinos to a designated location while addressing the economic impact of such a move.
Senior Congress leader and former South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha acknowledged that he had supported bringing casinos to Goa for tourism purposes during his tenure as Chief Minister, but said the industry had expanded beyond control. “I brought casinos to Goa for tourism purposes. I don't deny it. Two or three were enough. But now it has gone out of control. There should be a limit,” Sardinha said.
GPCC working president Sunil Kauthankar recalled the BJP's pre-2012 opposition to casinos and questioned their subsequent expansion. “Before the BJP came to power in 2012, they held massive rallies declaring: ‘We don't need casino revenue! We don't need byte money!’” he said.
Kauthankar also questioned whether the BJP's new headquarters at Kadamba Plateau had the required permission for its basement, while Congress has dubbed the building “Bhrashtachar Bhavan”.
The Congress leaders also alleged that the BJP uses proxy parties to divide opposition votes during elections, as opposition parties continue discussions on possible alliances ahead of the next Assembly elections.
